Ghielmetti Estate

Tucked away on the corner of Reuss and Tesla Roads in the upper Livermore Valley is a 64-acre site, situated on a sloped, alluvial bench with well-draining, “outwash” shaly loam soils from the surrounding hillsides. The Ghielmetti family chose this spot, intending from Day One to establish LV’s premier cru property. Planted over the course of two years in 2001-2002 by well-known Napa consultants Jim Regusci and Cary Gott, the vineyard is home to 10 different grape varieties organized into 19 separate blocks.

Ghielmetti Estate Vineyard is roughly rectangular in shape but tends to flow downward from all sides toward an arroyo that runs through the estate from north to south. The vineyard is topographically varied, ranging in elevation from 500 to almost 1000 feet above sea level. Within the site itself are a number of undulating blocks that provide different exposures to sun and wind. The vineyard was laid out specifically to take advantage of these changes in elevation and the six different soil types comprising the site, with varieties and rootstocks carefully selected to match the micro terroir.

Ghielmetti Estate Vineyard became the predominant fruit source for The Steven Kent Winery in 2005. It is planted to all five classic Bordeaux varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Malbec) with five different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon (4, 6, 30, 191, and 337).